


I Still Miss My Ex (But My Aim Is Improving)

by spinner33



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Bitter Ex is Bitter, Implied Planned Violence, More Bromance than Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-10 22:51:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7011490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinner33/pseuds/spinner33
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A rifle.  A target.  A friend in need.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Still Miss My Ex (But My Aim Is Improving)

Between one deep breath and the next, Danny steadied his shaking hands, letting go of the trigger long enough to readjust his aim. It wouldn’t do for the whole shebang to be ruined by a slippery, sweaty finger. 

Figures passed in front of the large window once more. A child’s room. A dark-haired woman was carrying a small blond boy back to bed. A man followed her around like a lovesick puppy. Maybe the child had had a nightmare. Maybe that’s why they were all awake. 

Bile rose in Danny’s throat. Hatred burned his vision. He levelled the gun, adjusted his aim so he wouldn’t strike the child. He wondered if he could take both adults out with one shot. He let himself smile at the thought as he pondered the scenario.

Looking at Charlie now, through the scope of the rifle, Danny couldn’t believe Rachel had been able to hide the truth from him for so long. But it did go a long way to explaining her wanting to move to Las Vegas, and put as much distance between herself and her ex as possible. 

His phone vibrated in his chest pocket. For a second he thought it might be his heart, preparing to burst out of his chest. 

Danny lowered the rifle once more. Pulled his phone from his pocket. Scowled into the night. He should not have been surprised to see Steve's number appear on the phone's face, along with his dipshit goofy smile.

“May I help you?” Williams asked, voice dripping in sarcasm and pain. 

“Danno? Buddy? Wha’sup?” Steve asked casually in reply.

“Steve,” Danny bit off the word with a snap. 

“Who else calls you at two in the morning on a Tuesday?” 

“I’m busy. Call you back.” 

“Ooooooh,” Steve purred, and Danny could hear and feel the vibration. “You snarky shit. I know you’re busy. The hell, Danno. What is the matter with you, huh?” 

Danny glanced around, ducking down, clinging to the far side of the tree. 

“Won’t do any good. You’re too big to be mistaken for a squirrel. Too short to be mistaken for a lamp post,” Steve continued. 

Danny frowned. He had spent weeks picking out this spot. Timing his plan perfectly from inception to execution, before Rachel and Stan were able to slip away again. Danny knew he was invisible from every angle but one. From above. His eyes went north, to the mansion next door, whose tall structure and sweeping balcony allowed the vantage point where Steve was perched. 

The Navy SEAL was wearing night-vision goggles and a shit-eating smirk visible in the light from the bedroom balcony of the woman standing a couple feet to his left. She was wearing curlers and a bathrobe, and a sleepy frown. 

“When you gonna learn to mind your own business, asshole?” Danny let the venomous words slide with ease as he lifted the rifle again. 

“What you’re doing, Danno? That is my business. Couldn’t be more my business. I’m charged with preventing capital crime in Hawaii, and you’re part of my team. You’re my right hand man. You’re my moral anchor. You’re kinda my hero, buddy. But you’re also violating seventeen different statutes of the State of Hawaii, standing in your ex-wife’s yard, holding that firearm, planning to do what you’re planning to do. I’d like to prevent you from doing any real harm, stop you before you get too stupid for your own good.”

“Fuck off, Steve. Leave me alone,” Danny moaned. 

“Okay, buddy. I’ll leave you alone, right after you put down Kono’s favorite sniper rifle, and come to my position so I can take you home.” 

“I’m not going home, Steve.” 

“Danno, it’s going to be okay. I'm here for you. I'm here.” 

“She lied to me.”

“Yeah, I know she did.” 

“Rachel lied to me. She used me. She strung me along, one hand on my dick, and the other on my heart.” 

“I know, buddy. I know.”

“I’m not going to let her keep doing this.” 

“I agree. I totally agree. But this is not going to solve your problems.” 

“This?” Danny chortled. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” 

“Put down the weapon, and we’ll go grab a sandwich and a beer, and talk about it. How does that sound?” 

“I’m done talking.”

“Danno, I can’t let you do this.” 

“Can’t you?” 

“Nope. Because I love Gracie too much to let her lose both her parents.” 

“Charlie is my son. He’s been my son all along. She….lied to me. She lied to him. She lied to Stan. She just…I can’t…” 

“Put the rifle down, Danno, before someone sees you,” Steve pleaded. “I don’t want to spend the rest of the night, filling out paperwork, booking your butt, snapping your mug shot, taking your prints. Do you want to spend all of eternity in my police files, wearing that shirt?” 

“What?” Danny fumbled, staring down. What was wrong with this shirt? It was a nice, pin-striped dress shirt. “How did you know where to find me?” 

“Kono saw you slip out of the office with the rifle in a duffle. You were, like, so not subtle. Chin was doing inventory on the ammo when he saw the box was missing. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.” 

“Lucky for you,” Danny snorted. 

“Don’t make me come over there, and slap you around, butthead.” 

“Like I’d let you?” Danny remarked. 

Movement in Charlie’s room made Danny flare up with fear. He whirled around, hunkered down, and balled up behind the tree, pulling the rifle up straight so it wouldn’t be visible. Bright lights flooded the area where Danny was huddling. He glanced up at Steve. His buddy was cringing in sympathetic embarrassment. Rachel opened the window. Stan was holding Charlie, mouth hanging open, eyes wide with dumbfounded surprise. Danny ducked back behind the tree, panting, eyes closed. 

“Oh fuckery,” Steve whispered, lowering his phone, lifting his night-vision goggles. 

“Is there a problem, Commander McGarrett?” Rachel called out, tugging her silken robe tighter around her figure. Annoyance made her features tight.

“Hello, Mrs. Edwards. Reports of a prowler in the area,” Steve called back, giving a small wave. 

“Ah,” Rachel nodded. “Why are you over there, if the prowler is over here?” 

“Better vantage point,” Steve lied, squinting. 

Rachel smirked, and closed the window. She sent a disapproving stare right where Danny was hiding as she drew the shades, disappearing into the interior of the mansion. Danny breathed slowly, tried to calm his racing heart. The flood lights were burning around him, silently accusing. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t think. Stars filled his vision, and then slowly evaporated like sweat in the humid air. It was like he was waking up in the early morning, wondering if it was all a dream. Had he really been ready to do what he had come here to do? 

Steve emerged from the front door of the neighbor’s house. He thanked the lady in curlers, giving her his card, and no doubt promising all manner of concessions if she could see her way clear to never mentioning this situation ever again, ever. He thanked her relentlessly, bowing slightly before jumping down off her porch and heading right for Danny’s position. 

McGarrett stomped across the lawn while tucking his phone into a cargo pants pocket, attaching the goggles to a loop on his utility belt. He was wearing two guns, and a thigh holster which made Danny think dirty thoughts right before it hit him that his buddy had come prepared to shoot him if necessary. Danny gulped, shaking his head in disbelief. The shit-eating grin had been replaced by a stern, eagle-beak frown. Danny had never seen Steve so pissed off. McGarrett walked right across the yard, right to Danny’s hiding spot, even though Williams had been shaking his head, waving him away.

Rachel appeared at her front door. She was wearing tiny, high-heeled slippers with fur around the top. Steve waved casually to Rachel, and stood talking to Danny, like they were coordinating this appearance.

“You are in so much trouble,” Steve warned, smiling in a way that made Danny shiver. 

“I’m’a kick your ass for messing this up,” Danny swore, also giving Rachel a casual wave and an awkward smile. “Oh God. She’s coming this way….” 

"Of course she is," Steve muttered. 

Rachel’s slippers clacked noisily along the cobblestone walkway around the house. She hit the lawn, picking up stray grass clippings from the neatly-trimmed green expanse. If Danny thought for one second that Rachel didn’t have any idea what he had actually been up to, that delusion was erased by the tightness in her mouth, the way she spoke through clenched teeth, the way she crossed her arms over her chest and glared hatefully at him. 

Steve slipped the rifle out of Danny’s grip, slung it over his own shoulder, and gave Danny the goggles to hold. 

“Rachel,” Danny growled. 

“Daniel,” Rachel growled.

“Sorry to wake you,” Steve offered. “Do you mind if we search your back yard?” 

“Help yourself. I’ll unlock the gate.” 

Danny sneered at Rachel, and headed towards the gate. He was stabbing her with a hateful stare over one shoulder as he put as much distance between them as he could. 

“Thank you, Commander,” Rachel said. There was a hint of a tremble in the hand that skimmed Steve’s arm for one brief second. 

“Just doing my job,” Steve replied, dropping the arm so it was out of reach. 

Rachel sighed sadly, and hurried back into the house. She left the ruined slippers on the front porch, tucked behind the decorative flower pot by the door. 

Steve scowled to himself, and went to collect Danny.


End file.
